Why Horses May Become Anxious

Incredibly sensitive to their environment, horses also have excellent memories that heavily influence the way they react to various external stimuli. Horses spent millions of years as free-ranging animals, only to be fairly recently forced to adapt to modern feeding practices and confinement. Consequently, horses often exhibit what we might consider “problem” behaviors or stable vices that include cribbing, wood chewing, weaving and wind-sucking.

The natural environment of all horses is an open pasture. In fact, horses given free reign in an unbounded pasture will graze more than 12 hours a day.With big hindguts and small stomachs designed for this type of all-day snacking, free-ranging horses will roam long distances while getting the ample exercise they need and crave.

Contrast this instinctive behavior with the way horses are now managed — today, they’re kept in enclosed areas where they receive restricted meals instead of being allowed to graze. Once horses eat their meals, they have hours of “downtime” with which to fill. This significant reduction in grazing and feeding times may be a viable correlation between anxiousness and dietary restrictions..

Other Causes of Horse Anxiety

Anything out of the ordinary can “spook” a horse — such as cars, farm equipment, a helicopter flying overhead or another animal — and keep them feeling nervous for awhile after the encounter.

Many horses do not like entering dark places and may especially become agitated when left alone in unlit areas. Horses are herd animals that are accustomed to being around other horses. Fear of being left alone in horses is often expressed as barn-sour or buddy-sour behaviors.

Loud noises will make even normally calm horses extremely anxious. It's also common for horses to develop a fear of a particular noise but not be afraid of other noises.

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